Combination sucker rod and box socket



, E. J. SHAFFER COMBINATION SUCKER ROD AND BOX SOCKET Flled April 11 1927 @2 GMLMA1M Sept. 24, 1929.

v rift Pu Patented Sept. 24, 1929 UNITED STATES ERNEST J. SHAFFER, OF TULSA, OKLAHOMA COMBINATION SUCKER ROD AND BOX SOCKET Application filed April 11,

The present invention relates, generally, to means for recovering broken or separated sucker rods from deep wells, and it has to do more particularly with a combination tool in the nature of a rod and box socket incorporating certain features present in the sucker rod connecting means disclosed and claimed in my United States Letters Patent No. 1,452,937, dated April 24, 1923.

In order that the purpose of the invention may be better understood it may be explained, briefly, that sucker rods usedin deep well drilling and pumping operationsv are made in r a plurality of standard sizesand each rod consists of an elongated body portion of relatively small diameter having enlargements at its, opposite ends from one of which a threaded, axial pin extends, and in the other of which is an axial, threaded socket. These 0 enlargements, involving :wrench receiving portions or squares, are commonly-known as boxes. The rods are adapted to be connected together to form a so-called string by screwing the socketed end of one rod onto the pin of another, and the string of sucker 55' that iswithdrawn from the well cannot be relied upon to determine the nearnessof the break to afbox because of the fact that the rods sometimes stretch through long continued use.

It is a purpose of my present invention to provide a combination tool or socket bymeans of which separated or broken sucker rods of the different standard sizes, regardless of v where the break occurs or of what nature the breakis, may be quickly and effectively recovered'from a'well, simplyby-applying the tool to the withdrawn sucker rods, lowering it by means thereof into thewell and forcing it over, and turning it with respect to, the broken part and withdrawing the thus recon- 1927. Serial No. 182,642.

nected string. In fact, in many cases, due to the security of the connection made through the tool, the operations may be proceeded with without retracting the parts from the well.

Further objects are to provide a tool of the aforesaid nature that is comprised of few parts, that is of simple and very substantial construction, that is extremely durable and practically indestructible, and that is made up of a rod socket adaptable to the catching of rods of all standard sizes, and interchangeable box sockets designed for application to the boxes of the different size rods. v The invention, in its present preferred form, is illustrated in the accompanying drawing wherein Fig. 1 is a vertical section through a part of a well tubing showing my combination socket applied to a sucker rod M and as though it were being lowered thereby for application to a broken rod; Fig. 2is a sectional side elevation ofthe socket, on a scale considerably enlarged over. that of Fig. 1, and indicating by dotted lines the manner in which it takes hold of a break like the one shown in the former figure; Figs. 3 and L are sections on the respectivelines 33 and 4 t of Fig. 2; Figs. 5 and 6 are sectional side elevations of additional box sockets that are adapted for use interchangeably with the one 3 included in Fig. 2; and Fig. 7 is a sectional detail of a thread-protecting guide ring for application to the rod socket when the latter is used-without a box socket. The combined tool or socket, according to the present embodiment, comprises a connecting member, or what is termed a sub, 1, a rod socket 2, a connecting collar 3, and a box socket 4:. The rod socket 2 consists of a cylindrical body that is reduced and thread ed atits opposite ends, as shown at 5 and 6, and it is provided with an upwardly and gradually converging bore that is threaded preferably in the manner illustrated. The threaded bore is designated 7 and it will be noted that the thread is formed with an inwardly and upwardly inclined face and with a horizontal face so that the effect is similar to that of a ratchet. The bore is graduated from a size adjacent its lower end somewhat in excess of the diameter of the largest standard size sucker rod, to a size adjacent its upper end that is somewhat less than the diameter of the smallest standard size sucker rod. As a consequence of this, any of the standard size rods that are engaged within the bore 7 will find a place where the bore tightly embraces the rod. 7

The rod socket 2 is slotted longitudinally at suitably spaced points about its circumference, the slots being designated 10 and shown as extending to within a short distance of the reduced threaded ends 5 and 6 of the socket. By reason of these slots, the wall portions of the socket between them is permitted to yield slightly in response to the force imposed thereon due to the forcing of the socket downwardly over the broken end of a sucker rod. The inherent resiliency of the metal of which the socket is formed will tend to press or embed the thread of the bore into the rod, and then by turning the socket the thread will be caused to cut its way into the material of the rod in substantially the same manner as a threading die operates upon a piece of stock. This action is due to the presence of the slots 10, or the grooves 11 that are cut longitudinally of the bore 7 in line with the slots. The slots and the grooves, cutting through the threads, leave sharp corners, designated 12 in Fig. 4, that cut into the rod as the socket is turned. The opposite sides of the grooves are inclined, as indicated at 13, so asto avoid the above described cutting ac tion upon a reverse rotation of the socket, as when disconnecting it from a rod. 7

Three different size box sockets 4 are shown in the drawings, the one detailed in Fig. 5being designed for application to the boxes of the smallest standard size sucker rod, the one shown in Fig. 2 being of a size for use with the boxes of the intermediate size rods; while the socket shown in Fig. 6 is intended for application to' the boxes of the largest standard size sucker rod. The corresponding parts of the three boxes are designated by like reference numerals, Each box socket is comprised of a cylindrical body from the upper end of which extends a neck 15 that is of the same diameter as the reduced end 6 of the rod socket and is cut with a thread identicalwith that of said end 6. Any one of the box sockets is therefore adapted to be attached to the rod socket'by means of the connecting collar 3 which is internally thread- J ed preferablycontinuously from end to end for application to the adj acent threaded ends the rod and box sockets, and it is desirably of the same external diameter as the former socket.

' .box socket has a bore l'i' that gradually converges upwardly from its, lower end, where. it'issomewhat larger in diameter than the box wherewith it is designed for use, to its upper end, where'it is of substantially the same diameter as the lower end of the bore 7 of the rod socket. The extreme lower end of the bore 17 flares outwardly to provide a guide wall 18. The bore 17 is threaded in the same manner as the bore 7 of the rod socket and, like the latter socket, each of the box sockets is provided with circumferentially spaced longitudinal slots 20. The bore 17 has grooves 21 which, in the case of the sockets shown in Figs. 2 and 6, are in line with the grooves 20. In the case of the smallest box socket, shown in Fig. 5, grooves 21 are made out of line with the slots so as to avoid unduly weakening the wall of the splcket where the wall is, of necessity, quite t in. v

' In the use of the tool, when a break occurs, a box socket is selected according to the size rods that are being employed on the particular job. This box socket is then attached by the connector collar 31to the rod .socket 2 which, as previously stated, is adaptable to all the standard sizes of rods. After with drawing from the well tubing A the portion of the string of sucker rods above the break,

the upper fragment of the rod that is broken is discarded and the tool is applied to the lower end of the first rod B and the string is reassembled and lowered into the well, rod by rod, in the usual manner.

l/Vhen the break is reached the tool is forced down over the broken end C of the string until the end of the 'rod, or the box, finds its place in the respective socket, and the string of sucker rods to which the tool is applied is turned in a direction'to cause the threads of the tool to cut into the rod or box. In some cases the tool takes a double hold on the break by the rod socket grasping the end of the rod and the box socket gripping the box. The parts may now be withdrawn from the well and the tool disengaged from the broken rod by its being rotated in the direction reverse to that in which it is turned when being applied, the broken end of the rod is discarded, and the rods are then reconnected and lowered int-o the well so that the drilling or pumping operation may beresumed. Sometimes, after a catch is made, because of the security of the hold of the tool upon the broken rod, the rods are not withdrawn for the purpose of immediate repair but the operations are proceeded with by means of the string that is new con nected through the medium of the tool.

Where a break occurs a material distance froma box, which, by the way, is rather unusual, the box socket may be omitted and the rod socket alone lowered into the well in which case its lower threaded end 6 has appl'ied'to it the thread-protecting guide ring that is shown in detail in Fig. 7 The lower edge of this ring is flared to provide a guide wall 26, similar to the guide walls 18 of the box sockets. 7 v

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. A combination tool of the character described, comprising a one piece rod socket having a threaded tapering bore, a box socket having a threaded tapering bore of greater diameter at its larger end than the largest diameter of the bore of the rod socket, said rod socket and box socket each provided with longitudinal slots, through the walls thereof which slots terminate at points spaced from the ends of said sockets, and longitudinally extending grooves in the inner walls of the sockets cutting the threads not cut by said slots to provide cutting edges on said threads for cutting into the rod or box which is to be removed therewith, and means for detachably securing said sockets together.

2. A combination tool of the character described comprising an elongated tubular body portion, the bore of which is tapering and is threaded substantially throughout its length, said body being slotted longitudinally, the slots terminating at points spaced from the ends of said body, said bore being also provided with grooves extending from said slots to the lower edge of the body, and an elongated extension detachably secured to the lower end of said body, with a tapered bore of greater diameter than the bore of said body, said extension having slots extending longitudinally and terminating short of the ends thereof and grooves continuing from the ends of said slots to the ends of said extension, said grooves and slots where they cut the threads providing cutting edges, for biting into the rod on which the same is to be engaged for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto afix my signature.

ERNEST J. SHAFFER. 

